POPIA Compliance
Softhost is committed to full compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA). This page explains your rights and how we protect your personal information.
Last updated: June 2026
Lawful Processing
We process data only on valid legal grounds.
Purpose Limitation
Data collected only for specific, defined purposes.
Data Security
Appropriate safeguards protect all personal data.
Your Rights
You can access, correct, or delete your data.
What is POPIA?
The Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA) is South Africa's primary data protection legislation. It gives effect to the constitutional right to privacy and regulates how organisations collect, process, store, and share personal information.
POPIA came into full effect on 1 July 2021 and applies to all organisations operating in South Africa that process personal information of South African residents.
POPIA is enforced by the Information Regulator of South Africa, an independent body established under the Act.
Our Commitment
Softhost is fully committed to POPIA compliance. We have implemented policies, procedures, and technical measures to ensure that all personal information we process is handled lawfully, fairly, and transparently.
Responsible Party & Information Officer
Under POPIA, the Responsible Party is the entity that determines the purpose and means of processing personal information. Softhost's Responsible Party details are:
POPIA Conditions We Follow
POPIA establishes eight conditions for lawful processing. We adhere to all eight:
What Personal Information We Process
We process the following categories of personal information:
Identity Data
Full name, ID number, date of birth, company registration details.
Contact Data
Email address, phone number, physical and postal address.
Financial Data
Payment information, banking details (processed securely via payment gateways), invoice history.
Technical Data
IP address, browser type, device identifiers, login timestamps.
Account Data
Username, service preferences, order history, support interactions.
Communication Data
Emails, support tickets, chat logs, call recordings (where applicable).
Why We Process Personal Information
We process personal information for the following lawful purposes:
- ›Providing, managing, and delivering our services to you.
- ›Processing payments and managing your billing account.
- ›Communicating with you about your account, services, and support requests.
- ›Complying with legal and regulatory obligations under South African law.
- ›Detecting, preventing, and investigating fraud or security incidents.
- ›Improving our services, products, and customer experience.
- ›Sending service-related notifications and updates.
Special Personal Information
POPIA places heightened protections on certain categories of sensitive personal information, including race, health data, religious beliefs, political opinions, trade union membership, criminal records, and biometric data.
Softhost does not routinely collect special personal information. Where it is necessary to process such information (e.g. for identity verification purposes), we will obtain your explicit consent and implement additional safeguards.
Your Rights Under POPIA
As a data subject under POPIA, you have the following rights:
Right of Access
Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you (Section 23).
Right to Correction
Request correction or deletion of inaccurate, irrelevant, or outdated information (Section 24).
Right to Object
Object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances (Section 11(3)).
Right to Portability
Receive your personal data in a commonly used format where technically feasible.
Right to Withdraw Consent
Withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on your consent.
Right to Complain
Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator if you believe your rights have been violated.
To exercise any of these rights, submit a written request to popia@softhost.co.za. We will respond within 30 days as required by POPIA.
Data Retention
We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by applicable law:
Once the retention period expires, personal information is securely deleted or anonymised.
Cross-Border Transfers
In some cases, personal information may be transferred to or processed in countries outside South Africa (e.g. when using international cloud infrastructure or third-party platforms).
Where personal information is transferred cross-border, we ensure that:
- ›The recipient country has adequate data protection laws, or
- ›The recipient has agreed to binding data protection obligations equivalent to POPIA, or
- ›You have consented to the transfer.
Security Measures
We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, destruction, or disclosure:
- ›SSL/TLS encryption for all data in transit.
- ›Encrypted storage for sensitive data at rest.
- ›Role-based access controls limiting data access to authorised personnel only.
- ›Regular security assessments, penetration testing, and vulnerability scanning.
- ›Staff awareness training on data protection and information security.
- ›Incident response procedures for detecting and responding to data breaches.
Data Breaches
In the event of a data breach that is likely to result in harm to data subjects, Softhost will:
- ›Notify the Information Regulator as soon as reasonably possible after becoming aware of the breach.
- ›Notify affected data subjects where the breach poses a risk to their rights and freedoms.
- ›Take immediate steps to contain and remediate the breach.
- ›Maintain a record of all data breaches and our response actions.
If you believe your personal information has been compromised, please contact us immediately at popia@softhost.co.za.
Contact & Complaints
For any POPIA-related queries, requests, or concerns, contact our Information Officer:
Information Officer — Softhost
Email: popia@softhost.co.za
Address: 217 Pretorius Street, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
Information Regulator of South Africa
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator:
Website: www.inforegulator.org.za
Email: inforeg@justice.gov.za
Tel: +27 (0)10 023 5207
Questions about POPIA compliance?
Our Information Officer is available to assist with any data protection queries.